Last Chance Harvey

ReelViews James Berardinelli

Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson bring credibility to Last Chance Harvey merely by their presence. The result is a holiday parfait.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

Slight but utterly charming.

USA Today Claudia Puig

Last Chance Harvey is the "Before Sunrise" for the over-45 set.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Last Chance Harvey is a tremendously appealing love story surrounded by a movie not worthy of it.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

It's a pleasure to see mature portraits of adult characters who put their vulnerabilities on the line. I enjoyed my time in the company of these strangers.

Boston Globe Ty Burr

Harvey is so thin it barely registers as a movie, yet these two actors - British apples and American oranges in their respective approaches to character - almost miraculously weave something memorable out of nothing much.

Variety John Anderson

Stars Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson (reunited after 2006's "Stranger Than Fiction") are so disarmingly charming that even the most treacly moments work an emotional magic.

Los Angeles Times Betsy Sharkey

Small and surprisingly hopeful film, with beautifully attenuated performances by Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson.

The New York Times Manohla Dargis

There’s something irresistible about watching two people fall in love, even in contrived, sniffle- and sometimes gag-inducing films like Last Chance Harvey.

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

Winds up being a touching portrait of that rarity in the movies: a recognizably human couple with recognizably human problems and quirks.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

Hoffman and Thompson are each good enough to bring out a glow in the other.

Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell

Basically "Before Sunrise" for middle-aged people, only with less interesting conversations and a more formulaic construction.

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

Sappy, sentimental and redeemed only by the quiet radiance and fidgety intelligence of its leads, Last Chance Harvey is a fantasy about mopey middle-agers getting a second chance at love.

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

Last Chance Harvey is what it is: a pleasant put-up job, held up by world-class pros.

Miami Herald Connie Ogle

Provides the rare pleasure of a blossoming romance between two people older than Kate Hudson or Ryan Reynolds.

Empire Anna Smith

Undemanding, observant and beautifully performed, this is Richard Curtis-lite with added reassurance: no challenging questions here.

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

Imagine Paddy Chayefsky's "Marty" saddled with more sentimentality and sprinkled with a few more laughs and you pretty much have Last Chance Harvey.

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

This mundane romantic comedy is notable for one reason only: its leading couple.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

A good chance to see two superb actors having their way with wafer-thin material.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin

If nothing else, Last Chance Harvey proves that you're never too old to be the subject of a zany trying-on-dresses montage, but considering the prestige of its leads, that's a minor victory at best.

Village Voice Aaron Hillis

Besides being old pros who could elevate such schmaltz in their sleep, Hoffman and Thompson -- despite the 20-plus years between them, and her graceful restraint in contrast to his creepy assertiveness -- have a genuinely sweet chemistry, which is the exact and only reason to seek this one out.

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

This movie is genial, forgettable piffle about the perhaps-beginning of a maybe affair. It's a romantic daydream so slim that it barely leaves the requisite sweet aftertaste.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

Distinctly middling, London-set romance.

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

All this gloomy masochism is made palatable because of the performers. And yet we must ask: Is this any way to show off two of our finest actors?

Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten

Last Chance Harvey is so much an "actors' film" that the hand of the director seems hidden until it bursts into view with something clunky.

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

Lately, most of Dustin Hoffman's roles have been grinning crackpots or talking animals, so accepting the 71-year-old actor as a romantic lead who could fetch the likes of Emma Thompson requires some suspension of disbelief.

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

Witless banter might have won Ginger Rogers for Fred Astaire, but Thompson is too smart for that.